augi blogi

So Laird’s off to Coachella Valley and I’m expecting to have a boring week but ended up going out night after night. Nothing crazy mind you, just was invited to crash an AES meeting one night to hear Davd McGrath talk about Dolby Lakes, then Dolby had a free screening of Meet the Robinsons in 3-D, and then the next night I unexpectedly ended up with a ticket to the opening night of the San Francisco International Film Festival. So I was out night after night, but when my alarm clock went off at 4:30 AM Saturday morning, I was ready to go. Sort of.

I had signed up for the AIDS Lifecycle Day on the Ride. I had promised myself 3 weeks before I would join Gold’s Gym and take spin classes to get in shape for this ride, but I hadn’t. That one ride with Laird across the bridge was all the training I had done. I signed up for the 75 mile ride and had never ever ridden that far and no earthly idea if I was even capable of it. But you know what? I was capable and I totally did it! The ride was really well planned out, really well supported, and the volunteers were awesome. Seriously, they fed me and looked out for me and every time I tried to thank someone, they would say “No, thank you, you’re doing the hard part!” They were so unbelievably sweet and kind and generous with their efforts and wouldn’t even accept a compliment for it.

Anyway, like I said, I had never ridden 75 miles, so I was really concerned with pacing myself and I’m an infamous slow poke anyway, so it was no surprise I was one of the last wave of people to roll in the check point. I was tired and one knee was acting up and my butt was so chafed I was trying to finish the last mile standing up on my pedals. But I roll into the Sports Basement parking lot and all the volunteers started cheering and clapping and ringing a cow bell, it was so charming and so very embarrassing.

So I learned that volunteers are special people, and that I can do 75 miles on my bike in one day, and that butt butter is important. It prevents chafing. Don’t forget it when you plan your next day-long ride.

Here’s me at the finish:

So after that crazy two-AIDS-Lifecycle-benefits-in-one weekend thing, I went back to work and did a repeat of that whole work-eat-sleep thing, with one notable exception being Wednesday, when Laird’s parents took us out for a lovely dinner in North Beach and then to see Beach Blanket Babylon. It was their way of reminding me to be glad that I left North Carolina for the wacky town of San Francisco, where I obviously fit in so much better!

 Then it was my Friday off. I got to sleep in for a while until Laird showed up at my door wanting to go for a bike ride across the Bay. He led me across town and over the Golden Gate bridge and up into the hills of the Marin headlands. We stopped for awhile and watched hawks circle the air beneath us, it was absolutley beautiful. I learned something too- on longer bike rides you don’t get hungry, you just get suddenly, inexplicably, cranky and emotional. An immediate application of Cliff Bar to pie-hole followed by a bottle of water returns you to normal.

Once again, I can’t remember a thing about Saturday. I’m pretty sure I was at working on bikes at Ace again. Anyway, I know I was there Sunday because it was my birthday and those tend to stand out. Here I am making sure candle number 38 stays lit long enough for me to make my wish:

So that’s how I spent my birthday weekend, hanging out at Ace, helping get Cyclecide ready to leave town for Coachella & Stagecoach. There are worse ways. Anyway, I went to work Monday morning, while Laird, Jarico and Moses slept on the bus and then bought steel and did the last bit of packing before they headed down south to Indio.

I went to work Monday morning and then I went home and ate and watched TV until I fell asleep, and then I did that again Tuesday and then again on Wednesday and then again on Thursday and then I went to work on Friday and then it was Friday night and  I had a party to go to, a benefit Team Wino’s Lifecycle ride, and then just  one day to get ready for Cyclecide’s show at Annie’s Social Club on Sunday.

The Team Wino benefit was at The Rx Gallery in the Tenderloin. They did their best to promote the gig, they had gathered a whole bunch of awesome raffle prizes, but hardly anyone showed up. It was a let down, but honestly, I had fun anyway. Laird had his trombone and he played it all night long while the DJs spun and I danced and turned cartwheels on the empty expanse of hardwood floor.

Saturday was blur, I can’t even remember what I did, I think I went to Ace but I can’t remember much about it. See? This is exactly why its bad to go so long between blogs. Something  amazing probably happened and I’ve forgotten it.

Sunday was the Annie’s gig with The Sick. It was an early show and just a few people showed up, mostly friends of The Sick, who were great by the way. They weren’t many but they were supportive of the show, which was an attempt to raise a little money for the Cycleciders who are going to try to do the AIDS ride this year. We made $200 at the door, a hundred of which we had to give to the sound guy, much to my surprise. I have a lot to learn about clubs. But again, your party can bomb but you can still have fun. Cyclecide went first and I can only say they sounded awesome because I was stuck at the door the whole time. Then Luke and The Sick went on, followed by Sean Kelly’s Freak-a-tronic. For that I was freed from door duty so I could shake my booty with Sean. I did a combo of booty-shaking and faux aerobics that shall be forever burned in the memories of the three people left in the bar.

Here’s Moses, Laird and Linda enjoying a pre-show burrito before the gig:

Off to a great start with this whole blogging thing: 3 posts in a row, then, what about 2, or is it 3? weeks without a peep. Even now I’m forcing myself to the keyboard when every cell in my body is dying to just shove an entire pot of macaroni’n'cheese in my face while watching CSI. But I feel bad neglecting my blog. I saw people and did things and I want to get it all down before the fog of forgetting sets in.

So here goes…

I didn’t mention last time that after Easter Sunday in the park, Laird and I went over to Ace. Laird had a special assignment for me: I had to spruce up the Rocket Bike. Turns out Popular Science magazine wants to feature some of our bikes in an upcoming issue. Laird and Moses went out to take some pictures, here’s my favorite:

I celebrated Easter with KatyBell and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at Dolores Park. KatyBell was sainted by the Sisters last year. Usually the Sisters nominate a Saint in one meeting and then vote on the nomination a month later, but when KatyBell’s name was called out, so many people started clapping that she was beatified that night! Her sainting was at the Eagle Tavern. That was a really fun party. I wore a moustache and got to paint a guy’s butt. Good times. Unfortunately, it looks like an uptight neighbour is trying to shut the Eagle Tavern down. Find out what you can do to support this venerable SOMA institution.

Please come see me at these events to help my team ride to support people living with HIV/AIDS! These will be fun nights, donating to a good cause has never been so easy!

Friday, April 13
TeamWino & Cyclecide present
A BENEFIT FOR AIDS LIFECYCLE6 

hip-hop, electro, funk with allstar biker DJs
CONSUELO, TOPH ONE, TIMOTEO GIGANTE & JAMIE JAMS (Club Neon)
9p-2a, $10+ suggested donation (no one turned away), 21up
RX Gallery 132 Eddy btwn. Taylor & Mason, downtown SF

Sunday, April 15
TeamWino & Cyclecide present

A BENEFIT FOR AIDS LIFECYCLE6
live punk & DJ mayhem featuring
the SICK
LOS BANOS
& DJs JEF LEOPARD, TOPH ONE & ICE CREAM LOPEZ
hosted by the toasted LUKE SICK of SACRED HOOP/ GURP CITY
early show! 5pm doors/ 6pm bands
$5+ donation, 21up
Annie’s Social Club (the old CW) 917 Folsom at 5th, SF

This will be my first ever AIDS Lifecycle ride. I’ve been bike-commuting for the past 3 years, but I’ve never attempted any serious road trips, much less 545 miles in 5 days. My friends Spider and Toph have done it for the past 4 years running and they assure me that I can do it, that they see all kinds of people, all ages and body shapes and all different types of bikes, make it through the ride just fine. I bought a new used road bike (thanks Heavy Metal!) and some spandex padded pants and some clip-in shoes, and that’s about as far as my training has gone! I joke with Laird: “I like shopping for the AIDS ride, but training for it? Not so much.” But that’s about to end, as I have just signed up for the 80-mile “Day on the Ride Experience” on April 28th. So I have 3 weeks to get ready for that, and then I’ll have a good idea of how much more work I have to do to be ready for June 5th. I’m not gonna lie, I’m scared folks- scared I won’t raise enough money and scared that I’ll punk out during the ride. I will have to call on Team Wino for support:

Team Winocide Powers- Activate! Shape of- a Clown who can pedal 545 miles!

After years of dead space on augustwood.com, I am with the program at last. Thanks to WordPress, Rudy & Laird, I will be adding some content to my website. Check back for events, like the Team Wino benefit at Annie’s on Friday April 15th, and images of my art, which I will be selling to fund my first-time ride with the AIDS Lifecycle this June, and much more.